On a recent trip to my favorite whole-food-plant-based place in the world—Casa de Luz in Austin, Texas—I found myself at the intersection of tea and optimal health and left wondering why it took me so long to discover Kukicha tea.
Through my plant-based journey, I learned that green tea counts as a serving of leafy greens. Kukicha is a kind of green tea made (mostly) from the stems of the Camellia sinensis tea plant, which is why it’s also known as twig tea.
The tea is sun-dried for a few days, aged 2-3 years, and roasted (although you may come across varieties of Kukicha that aren’t processed this way and more closely resemble green tea). The aging and roasting result in a mild, sweet, and earthy-tasting tea that is low in caffeine and rich in nutrients.
The health benefits of Kukicha tea include the following:
- Helps build bone density with six times more calcium than cow’s milk
- Contains 2.5 times more Vitamin C than oranges
- Reduces stress and high blood pressure
- Aids digestion
- Fights fatigue
- Reduces the risk of certain types of cancer because it’s antioxidant-rich
- Helps lower cholesterol levels
I use the green tea setting on my kettle (175 degrees Fahrenheit) and let the stems steep for about three minutes. Though I haven’t tried it yet, I’m sure it would work well as an iced tea.
It’s good to see a new post!
And I also wasn’t aware of the health benefits of kukicha. I should really try it. Green tea was also my first tea interest.